Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: ERGONOMIC

Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970: The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees, in that employees were required to perform lifting tasks resulting in stressors that had caused, were causing, or were likely to cause musculoskeletal injuries: (a) In the Respool Department, employees were required to stack reels on pallets above the maximum permissible weights allowed by the NIOSH Lifting Guide. The evaluation of this manual lifting task indicates that employees are exposed to a hazard which is causing or likely to cause musculoskeletal injuries. The employer did not implement an effective control strategy to reduce or elimin- ate such injuries. The injury and illness records for 1989, 1990 and 1991 documented a pattern of musculoskeletal in- juries. Among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is the implementation of an ergonomics management program consisting of the following four elements: (1) Worksite analysis to recognize and identify existing manual lifting hazards in the workplace. This analysis should include development and use of an ergonomic checklist and employee questionnaire. Periodic surveys of the workplace shall be conducted at least annually to evaluate work practices and engineering controls. Employee participation in the ergonomic program should be encouraged through a mechanism such as a safety committee. (2) Medical management which includes accurate recordkeeping of manual lifting injuries. The program should address early recognition, evaluation, and referral of lifting injury cases. Systematic worksite review by the medical team should also be included in the program. (3) Training and education for exposed employees, including methods to evaluate the effectiveness of the training. Re-training should be done annually, or as operations change. Training should address hazards associated with the job, the risks of manual material handling, and how to prevent the lifting injuries. A supervisors' train- ing program should also be implemented to allow recogni- tion of manual lifting hazards and to reinforce the employer's ergonomics program. (4) Hazard prevention and control which includes engineering, work practice, and administrative controls. (a) Administrative controls are implemented which reduce the duration, frequency, and severity of exposure to manual lifting hazards. These controls may include job rotation, reduction of repetitions, multiple person lifts, and preventive maintenance of related equipment. (b) Work practice controls are implemented which include proper work techniques, new employee conditioning, proper placement of loads, and reduction of weight lifted. Examples of work practice controls applicable to this workplace include: (i) Limit stacking to "one high" on pallets with reel weights above 106 pounds. (c) Engineering controls are designed by a qualified ergonomist and may include workstation redesign, tool and handle redesign, and use of mechanical lifting aids. The goal of this program should be to make the job fit the person. Examples of engineering controls applicable to this workplace include: (i) Use an inclined powered conveyor to raise reels to second level height.